The Son of Hades
by MomoMouat97
Summary: It all seems hopeless to Melaina, all alone in the cold woods with only her new big brother, Nico diAngelo. What she doesn't know is how much he cares for her, even now when he barely knows her. One-shot, set in the middle of the Battle of the Labyrinth, before Percy finds Nico at the farm. Based on my characters from The Ghost King and the Princess of Darkness. Big-brother!Nico.


**If you have not read the start of my story "The Ghost King and the Princess of Darkness", this is a one shot that may be a part of a final chapter. You do not have to read it to understand, but it might help. Enjoy! Love from, Momo.**

We were completely and utterly alone. It was so silent in the woods around that not even the crickets chirped, probably sensing lots of death nearby. I tried not to cry, my hands around my knees as I stared into the low flames from our fire, shivering in the breezy summer air. Even with my heavy black leather jacket over my thin t-shirt, I could still feel the cold. It made me feel utterly hopeless. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips into my ripped black combat pants, feeling my chin quivering.

Next to me, I could sense Nico sitting on the ground, idly tapping his fingers into the cold dirt. I still was in shock, I couldn't really bring myself to believe that he was my brother, and my big brother no less. Even though he was only about a year older than me physically, technically he was around eighty years old. It hurt my brain to think about that, and so I stopped pretty quickly.

Despair washed over me as I clenched my teeth, unable to stifle a soft sob as it snuck its way out, feeling ashamed as it did. Here I was, safe with Nico, and all I wanted to do was cry? I was just being selfish again, as usual. He had saved my life, explained to me what being a child of Hades meant. He was probably the only person who even knew anything close to what I felt. I mean, what are you supposed to think when you discover that you're a child of a god who is hated throughout the world? How do you react when you realize you will never be loved or wanted? Nico knew.

He even hugged me. The last person to hug me had been my stepfather. I felt a pang of sadness as I thought of his soul, drifting around in the Fields of Asphodel for all time. Not the best existence, but it was all he could have. Even with my say in things, which I technically didn't have yet, as I still didn't know if my father even knew about my existence yet.

The floodgates broke, and I pressed my hands to my face to try to muffle them, while probably failing. I heard Nico stop tapping on the ground, and felt him shift closer to me. When he tentatively wrapped his arm around my waist, I leaned into him slightly, choking on my cries. He didn't seem to really know what to do, but he carefully wrapped his other arm around me, turning me so I was pressed against his chest. Beneath my hands, I could feel his heart beating uncertainly, in an erratic rhythm.

We sort of just sat there for a few moments, not really saying anything. The only sounds were the rustling of the wind and my soft sobs and hiccups as I tried to get myself under control. It was some time before I did, but I did not remove my face from his warm chest. For the first time in a long while, I felt safe. At home. Content.

Nico shifted, resting his head on top of mine as he pressed a cautious kiss to my forehead, sending warmth shooting through my body. I snuggled closer, almost sitting in his lap now. Raising my head, I watched his face, eyes warily scanning the darkness around us for monsters.

"Nico?" my voice came out timid and shaky, cracking on the second syllable. I cleared my throat as he looked down at me, his dark, intense eyes softening.

"Yeah?" he murmured, brushing away the hair that had fallen into my face. The tender gesture made tears fill my eyes again, and I closed my eyes, feeling one fall down my cheek.

"Can you sing to me?" I was uncertain, biting my lip nervously as he seemed to process my words. His arms tightened slightly around me as he blew out a puff of air. I opened my eyes in time to see him close his own, his face glowing pale in the flickering campfire.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Yeah, I got one song for you." As I watched him, he swayed slightly from side to side, humming to himself for a second. When he opened his mouth to sing, I was surprised at the beautiful melody that came out.

"_Close your eyes… I know what you see. The darkness is high, and you're in ten feet deep,_" he took a breath. "_But we've survived more terrible monsters than sleep…and you know I will be here to tell you to breathe._" My eyes fluttered shut, and I slowly pressed my face against his chest as he continued singing in a different, more fluid language that I couldn't place.

"_Tu sei il mio soldatina…la ragione per cui vivo. Non ti scordar di me…io veglierò su di te_,"

I thought that he was done, but he went on, his heart skipping a beat in his chest as I laid against it, his shirt soaking up my tears that still fell freely. His rich tenor voice echoed slightly in the air around us, soothing me. He still swayed slightly from side to side, almost rocking me like a mother does to her infant baby.

"_Stumbling lost, the last choice of all that you meet. It's the cost of ruling those 'neath your feet_," I instantly knew that this was not just a song to him. This meant something, or had meant something to him in his past, and now he had chosen to share it with me. Was I really that special to him, a girl he just met, a sister he didn't even know he had?

"_Paths you've crossed, and trust you're trying to keep…you're exhausted, listening for a voice that can't speak, ma nina, mia caro._" Shivers ran down my spine as my tears stopped, my breath coming out in a tiny exhausted puff as sleep tugged at the edge of my vision. The last thing that I remembered, following me into the first peaceful sleep in a long time, was Nico's voice, shaking slightly with suppressed emotion.

"_Tu sei il mio soldatina…la ragione per cui vivo. Non ti scordar di me…io veglierò su di te_,"

And then I was floating.


End file.
